Code Pepper
by RoxasSerenity
Summary: He had created the code as a joke after Pepper had shown up to work hungover once. Movie-verse. Set pre-IM and goes through until post-IM2. PEPPERONI! Cause, lets face it, End Game hurt


_Its been FOREVER since I was actually able to sit down and write something, but after seeing End Game, I found myself feeling nostalgic for the simpler times, when it was a will they/wont they with Tony and Pepper, the MCU was beginning to build its foundations and (lets be frank) Avengers movies were fun action films that didn't rip your heart out. Such simple times. I have some other ideas floating around but I'll see how I go typing them up because, as usual, I started writing one thing and it went off in an entirely different direction._

_Starts pre-IM and goes through until the end of IM2_

_Enjoy. Construction comments welcome_

_Code Pepper_

He had created the code initially as a joke. They had been to a number of functions together and while he was busy drinking far too much and charming the underwear, quite literally, off of the hottest women he could find, he had failed to notice that his faithful PA never so much as touched the alcohol that accompanied the events, constantly choosing to attempt to keep him on some kind of schedule to attend the meetings she knew he probably wasn't going to. He'd actually asked JARVIS about it once, wanting to know if she preferred red or white wine as a thank you and please don't leave after she had found him hanging upside down by his shoe laces in the shower, completely nude with no idea how he got there. When the AI had mentioned that he had no idea if she even drank alcohol in the first place, he had gotten curious. He couldn't blame her for not drinking though, he had basically redefined her job as a 24-hour babysitter, always available to clean up after a wild night of booze, girls and parties, and working for a full-time, functioning alcoholic couldn't be easy. Scratch that, it _definitely _wasn't easy, but she made it seem that way, regardless of how difficult he was being. And besides, he had made it clear when he realized that she was indeed sticking around that he didn't like it when she had plans, so the first time she had left early with plans for her birthday, it had come as quite a shock, but he made it some what of a mission to be on his best behavior and not have to pull her away from her night off. What had been even more surprising was when she had shown up at the house over an hour late, phone on the lowest brightness setting and point-blank refusing to take her sunglasses off when JARVIS had mentioned it. If he were being honest, he hadn't even noticed her tardiness or her eyewear, but once the comment was made and she visibly winced at the AI's volume, it was impossible not to notice.

Pepper Potts was hung-over.

His first reaction had naturally been to laugh, which only caused her more of a headache. He'd felt bad, offering her painkillers and to send her home to sleep. She'd refused to go home, there was paperwork that needed his immediate attention, a meeting with the technical team currently working on the Arc Reactor that he _needed _to attend and about a dozen other things that she was uncertain he would attend to if she were not present, despite his insistence that he most definitely get them done and she was no good to him in her current state. When she still refused, he'd stolen her keys and threatened to throw her in the car if she didn't get in willingly, with instructions to Happy that she was, under no circumstances, to be allowed back on the property until the following day.

"Sir-"

"JARVIS, how long has Miss Potts been employed with me now?"

"_Two years, four months and 8 days sir."_

"And how many sick days have Miss Potts taken in that time?"

"Mr. Stark, I don't think-"

"I didn't realize that you had changed you name Pepper. JARVIS?"

"_My records indicate that Miss Potts has taken three days sick leave since you hired her sir."_

"See? The AI has spoken Miss Potts. And I can't have my favourite girl passing out during such an important meeting. Off you go." With Happy only offering a shrug, she'd folded, picking up her handbag (neither men made a comment about the content that had fallen out on to the couch) and followed Happy to the awaiting vehicle. As soon as the front door was closed, Tony had immediately added _Code Pepper_ as a warning to himself if the incident should ever occur again. It hadn't, which was understandable and a tiny bit disappointing, and he had actually forgotten that it even existed.

At least until he had gotten home from Afghanistan.

After erasing all of the voice messages that had been left in his absence (Pepper was probably going to kill him for that later), he'd asked on a whim about anything else that he had missed.

_Code Pepper. _More times than he was comfortable with. It hadn't been good.

He had ordered JARVIS to show him the footage, determined to discover just how bad her hangovers had been while he had been trapped in that damn cave, threatening to reprogram his system when the AI attempted to block it by order of Happy of all people.

She had actually been _drunk_. The video had showed her passed out on the couch, a mostly empty bottle of bourbon that he didn't recognize sitting on the coffee table. Happy had walked in and found her, attempting to wake her, only to be rather weakly slapped in the face for his efforts. He'd gently put a hand on her cheek for a moment, mumbling softly to her for a moment before scooping her up effortlessly and walking her upstairs to her room. He hadn't had the heart to watch the other videos.

He knew building the suit was a bad idea and most likely going to cause her more headaches than he normally did, but he had to do this, making sure to keep a closer eye on her and hope that _Code Pepper _never had to come into effect on his watch again.

There were concerns, especially after he'd unthinkingly announced at the press conference that he was indeed Iron Man and he could slowly see how the stress was slowly chipping away at her sanity while she basically ran _his _company and his own schedule, so that he could fix the other mistakes that he and his father had made by developing weapons. He had wanted to tell her about the palladium poisoning, but on top of everything else, he couldn't do that to her, especially after how she had reacted to the _possibility_ that he had dead. Who knows how things would go if she found out that he _was _dying. He cared about her, more than he was willing to admit, so he'd distracted her instead, making her CEO and putting as much distance between them as possible. He had _tried_ to tell her, but by that point he was pretty sure she outright hated him. It was hard, harder than it had any right to be, but part of him knew it was for the best. Stark Industries was secure with her behind the wheel and she was safer the further away she was from him right now. He was a path of self-destruction; he couldn't pull her down with him. He still had the JARVIS software in his old office keep an eye on her though.

She had been drinking, not nearly close to what he had been before Iron Man, but enough that he was seriously concerned. He had wanted to bring it up with Happy, but the former boxer was even more pissed off with him than Pepper and Rhodey combined and he was pretty sure if it wouldn't have upset Pepper even more, the man would have knocked him out cold without a second thought. _Former Stark Security K.O.'s Iron Man_. That would have gone down well. He really had lost both the kids in the divorce and then there was spy running around, disguised as personnel from legal helping Pepper with the mess that he had caused. And oh yeah, he was dying. He had wanted to save the world and unintentionally wrecked his own in the process.

He'd actually started to come to terms with his condition, with knowing his death was imminent, at least he couldn't hurt the people he cared about anymore. It was a crap way to think but it was the only possibility for the world to move on. The possibility that he could push Pepper back to the state she had been when he had disappeared had occurred him, on more than one occasion, but given what he had seen Happy do for her, he figured that she would eventually be alright and move on. Anyone was better for her than him anyway. Then Fury had to go and give him hope in the form of his father. Dead almost twenty years and still taking him to school.

He eventually fixed it though. Kind of. The Stark Expo was basically ash thanks to Ivan Vanko, Hammeroids and the moron that was Justin Hammer and Pepper had just attempted to quit after almost being blown up in the aftermath, but if dying had taught him one thing, it was he _really _couldn't do this without her. He'd known it for a while now, (how could he not? The woman was a freaking _saint_ for dealing with him as long as she had) but since his return, he'd begun to realize just how _much._ Not as his Personal Assistant or the backbone that had been keeping his company from falling straight on to its face, he just needed _her. _Kissing her would never make up for all the crap he had put her through, but it was at least a place to start. Rhodey had ruined the moment and stolen his suit _again_, but he could replace it no worries. There was no replacing Pepper.

They had some how managed to make it back to ground level (she refused to let him fly with that state his helmet and suit were currently in) and Tony's first instinct had to been to yell at Happy for abandoning Pepper to go running off to find Vanko, then at Natalie (Natasha? Whatever) for taking said driver when _Pepper nearly got blown up!_ He probably would have kept going for a while had Pepper not almost face planted the pavement.

"JARVIS?"

"_I believe Miss Potts is in shock sir." _Of course she was, how could she not be? Getting blown up was his job, not hers. Moving on pure instinct, he quickly pulled her into his arms, almost screaming at Happy to get them to the nearest hospital while placing her carefully in the back seat, scrambling to squeeze in himself while slightly cursing that he couldn't exactly get out of the suit until they got to their destination. It was hardly the most important thing right now though.

"Not the hospital."

"Pepper-"

"Please Tony, not the hospital." Her face was pail, even in the faint glow of the streetlights as Happy sped as quickly as he could without attracting any passing police. He was certain they would be too occupied with helping in the aftermath of the Expo, but it wasn't worth the risk at this point. All Tony was do was sigh.

"Why do you have to be so damn stubborn Potts?"

"I've spent far too much time with you Stark." She rolled her head in his direction, a small smile on her lips. All he could do was get lost in her bright blue eyes for a moment (_had they always been that blue?_) before grasping at the shoulder of his armor, desperately trying to find the catch to release his left arm before jamming a finger in his ear and asking JARVIS to do it, only to be told that the automatic release had been jammed by his fight with the Hammeroids. He was so busy mentally cursing out Hammer that he didn't notice nimble fingers releasing the catch until he heard a small hissing noise. Regardless of the mental state she was in, all he could do was watch as she pulled the mangled metal from his body as she had before he had finally got the robots in the garage to finally disassemble the damn, pulling it away as if it was no big deal, dumping it unceremoniously on the floor of the car. No words were spoken between them as she gently trailed her fingers down his now bare arm before finally taking his hand, sliding her fingers between hers on the seat between them. He's pretty sure this is supposed to feel weird, holding hands whilst she looks at him like _that_, but like the kiss they had finally shared on the roof, it feels….almost natural.

He _really_ hated his suit right now.

"I'm supposed to be taking care of you for once." Is all he manages to choke out.

Happy had tried to argue that the hospital was the most practical place for both of them and while he didn't technically work for Tony anymore, he could hardly overrule both of them and drove them both to the nearest hotel, parking in the darkest corner they could find. Between the two men, they had finally got the remains of the suit removed, stuffing it in the trunk of the car, the driver pulling out the two rucksacks he hadn't even know where in there. Tony rummaged through one until he was able to find a suit jacket and pants to cover his body suit. Admittedly, he had checked into a hotel wearing some…questionable clothing choices in the past, but he wasn't exactly eager to have his arc reactor plastered all over the news. It was one thing for everyone to know that it was the power source for his suit (that was basically the entire point) but he had been able to keep it quite for this long that it was actually attached to his chest and he didn't intend for that to change any time soon.

Pepper was still sitting in the car, staring vacantly at the roof and having not said a word since taking his hand. He missed her touch already, reconnecting them as quickly as possible while cupping her cheek gently.

"Pep? Come on honey." He had no idea where the endearment came from, even Happy looked taken back for a moment, but they seriously needed to get her upstairs and laid down. JARVIS was chiming in his ear, running through the basics of whapot he was supposed to be doing when the only thing he really cared about was getting Pepper somewhere she could properly rest. Between them, they had managed to get Pepper to her feet (he'd slipped her heels off and left them in the car, replacing them with sneakers from his bag. They didn't exactly fit and the laces were untied but he figured they were safer than risking her falling over and twisting her ankle) and into the lift where she practically collapsed against his side. He could have sworn he heard a small whimper when he let go of her hand, placing it securely around her waist to steady her instead, feeling the goosebumps on his neck where her breath began to slow.

"You need to stay awake, alright? Just a few more minutes." She mumbled something illegible. With Natalie/Natasha having checked Pepper in hours before the Expo, all they had to do was ride to the top floor.

The Presidential suite was more like an apartment than a hotel room, consisting of two bedrooms and a large sitting area, complete with a pull-out couch and open fireplace. Happy rushed ahead, opening the door to dispose of the bags, one by the couch, the other in one of the rooms. With no one around to get any unwarranted ideas and cause more of a headache, he quickly scooped her up into his arms, careful to avoid banging her head on the doorway. Every muscle in his body was protesting, but he fought against it, tightening his grip until he could safely lower her on to the bed. She couldn't sleep in her current outfit and would definitely kill him if he tried to change her, so he placed her gently in an upright position, throwing things hazardously from her bag until he was holding a pair of checkered pajama pants in one hand, a tank top in the other and no idea how he was supposed get the CEO into them without losing a limb. He'd rather go toe-to-toe with Vanko again without the suit than piss off the redhead.

"Pep?" She was still sitting there, blankly staring, seemingly not hearing him. Dropping the night clothes beside her, he crouched before her, once again resting his hand against her cheek. She was shaking, the weight of the last few hours, possibly days, finally crashing down, finally allowing a tear to escape and be caught by his thumb.

"Code Pepper." She managed to choke out.

"What?" _How did she even-_

"You were mumbling about it once in your sleep, after-" She refused to say the word, the previous 'adventure' bringing back memories neither of them was ready to deal with just yet.

"I really don't think alcohol is the best idea right now. And you know if it's coming from me, its kind of a big deal." He still hadn't noticed his hand placement until it was covered with hers, the spark that usually brought so much life to her bright blue beginning to return. When neither said anything else for a moment, he quickly returned his attention to the clothing next to her. "You should probably change and get some sleep." The thought that she had kissed him back as a result of pure adrenaline had crossed his mind and it terrified him more than he was comfortable with. He had waited for ten years to kiss her and six months to actually work up the nerve to do it, he could wait until the morning to see if there was any way forward beyond their working relationship, whatever that was anymore. Pepper seemed to have other ideas though, gripping his hand tighter as he went to pull away, a look of uncertainty now crossing her face. He'd never seen that look before, at least on her, and something about it made him uneasy.

"Will you… Please don't leave." The pleading look in her eyes, the slight tremble in her voice, it made his heart sink. It was in that moment that he knew, that he _truly_ knew, there wasn't a thing that he wouldn't do for her. His knees creaked with the effort of starting upright, watching the hope leave her eyes seemed more painful though. To ease her mind, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead with a promise to back in a moment and jokingly ordering her to change and be in bed lying down when he got back. She gave him a look.

"Not like… Just do as you're told Potts. Just this once."

Happy was playing with his phone on the couch when Tony walked out, taking sudden interest in watching his former boss' movements as he grabbed his bag and began changing into sweatpants and a faded grey t-shirt. It was only when he was making his way back into the room that the former boxer decided to speak up.

"Tony…"

"Happy, I swear, no funny business. Just sleeping." He seemed to contemplate this, still skeptical and Tony couldn't blame him. He did have a reputation. "I know I've been an ass these last few weeks, but its _Pepper_. I couldn't… I can't leave her. Not like this, _especially _like this." The man was still concerned, but there was a definite understanding. He had to know, there was no way he didn't.

"Just…. Be gentle with her alright?"

"You know I will."

"And if you hurt her, there isn't a suit you can build that will stop me from kicking your ass." He had to admit, the last week had definitely given the bodyguard some balls.

"Message heard." With a mock salute, he was gone, suspecting that he was probably going to get a similar threat from Rhodey in the morning.

Being the playboy that he was, Tony had seen many women in various stages of dress and undress, but never had he seen something so beautiful as Pepper Potts with the cover pulled up under her arms, propped against a stack of pillows, fighting sleep… and texting?

"I leave you alone for two minutes." She actually jumped, dropping the offending object into her lap. Even in shock and half asleep she was still trying to do her job. Despite being busted, she even tried to pick the damn thing back up. _What did I do to deserve her?_ He plucked the device from her hands against her protests, turning it off and placing it on the bedside furthest before taking a seat on the mattress. "No work until you've slept for at least eight hours Potts. I'm serious."

"You're not my boss anymore." Came her weak response.

"And yet…" Gesturing to the fact that she actually changed and gotten into the bed.

"Technicality."

"Please stop arguing and go to sleep."

"Only if you do." He couldn't argue with that, taking it as all the encouragement he needed to be certain that she was alright with this. He actually felt nervous as he pulled back the covers (_he was Tony Freaking Stark, since when did he get nervous about climbing into bed with a woman? _Cause its Pepper you moron), lying on his back and staring at his bed mate who had adjusted herself to lay on her side facing him. Without a thought of hesitation, he slid an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close until she was resting against his shoulder, their bodies flush, hands joined over his arc reactor and reached over to flick off the light. In the stillness he could hear her breathing begin to slow as she drifted into a deep sleep that she probably needed more than anything right now, the reassuring sound beginning to lull him into his own slumber.

Morning sunlight peeking through the windows began to stream through the window, waking Tony from what had to been the best sleep he had had in longer than he cared to admit. Every bruise he had received in his fight against the Hammeroids and Vanko were making themselves known as he began to regain consciousness but it was the numbness of his left arm that had immediately gotten his attention. Reluctantly he opened his eyes, almost praying that certain events had actually happened the night before and not just a hallucination of being strangled and electrocuted simultaneously. _Red hair, that's a good start._ They had shifted in the night, his body wrapped around hers, their hands joined on her stomach. He had never been one for lingering the morning after, able to slip away into the garage while Pepper dealt with escorting his company from the premises. Right now though, he felt content, like they could just stay here forever and never be bothered by anything. He knew it was unrealistic, they had an Expo to clean up, press to reassure that he had definitely not lost his mind and was still very much capable of piloting the Iron Man suit in the interest of world peace and they really needed to talk about where they were headed from here (_She_ had_ just quit as his CEO and he'd be a complete asshole to ask her to return as his PA_) but for now, in this moment, it felt like it was just the two of them and he was OK with that. As Pepper began to stir in his arms and inevitably began rushing around without a second, he needed to make himself a promise to her.

No matter what happened, he never wanted to have to use _Code Pepper_ because of him again.


End file.
